Shopsmith Forums

I had a shop light go out and I knew the fluorescent tubes in the closet were about at the end of their life so the last time I was at Home Depot I bought a contractors box of 10 fluorescent tubes (phillips).

I replaced the ones in the garage and it didn't help the light would not come on. So I thought I may have a bad tube so I put in two more. Nothing.

No big deal it was only one fixture and I could live with it until I came across a good deal on a new unit. Whe nI got a chance I would either get a new ballast or swap out the whole fixture.

Over the weekend the light in the closet went out so I replaced the tubes. Nothing.

I figured the ballast was shot so I waited until Monday. Went to ACE and they said replace the whole fixture it will be cheaper. But they only had T8 units and all of mine are T12.

I figured I would wait until I got to Home Depot and get a new fixture. Again they only had T8 and a new T 12 ballast was $20.

I decided to check at Lowes so I was there Wed and they only had T8.

I kept thinking the fluorescent tubes might be bad as I have never has any luck with phillips. I had returned them to Home Depot.

Of course I had them too long switched Credit Cards and could only get store credit. Okay fine I need a bottle of Round up and and few other things.

This morning I get up determined to fix the stinking light. Went to ACE bought a new ballast, two new tubes, some wire nuts for the size I would need and some other junk.

Got home got all my tools ready but before I did anything I put in the two ACE fluorescent tubes. Wonder of Wonder! The light came on.

Took the ballast and everything back bought two more tubes and put them in the garage light. Jesus make me a sunbeam the light came on.

Lesson learned the ACE lights are 2 for $3 or 10 for $15, the contractor pak of 10 was $21 at Home Depot. But the biggest difference is the ACE lights work!

I will never buy Phillips fluorescent tubes again, and I probably will be shopping at ACE a lot more. Besides it is less than a 1/2 mile and Home Depot is 10 mile round trip.

So what was it at HD that you 'got over? Only reason I go there is it is closer than Lowes and the one and only hardware store local which is crosstown.

Interesting story, back a few years the kitchen center light, a round one went out. We were at my father-in-laws and he was one of those people who always had spares for every thing.

The new light when plugged in did not come on, he then produced a new started. Tried both bulbs and nothing. It's an old house but with circuit brakers so I checked that. Made use of that to power down the circuit so I could examine the wiring.

Still nothing so I went to the Ace, no big box stores in that area. Got a new bulb and that didn't work either. Took it back and talked to the hardware man, he was quite helpful. Turns out they had a batch of bulbs that were bad, got me one from the new batch and away I went. This time it worked fine.

I was a little confused why they still had the bad batch still on the shelf but then maybe what he ment was that some of the bulbs in that batch were bad but they all were not?

Returned the other none working bulb got a fresh new bulb as a replacement, so the spare is on the shelf, after I tested it first of course.

Don't recall the brand but I think it was Ace.

I guess any one can have bad bulbs. For me it turned out to be Ace....

Ed

reible wrote: . . .

I was a little confused why they still had the bad batch still on the shelf but then maybe what he ment was that some of the bulbs in that batch were bad but they all were not?

. . .

Ed

I am guessing YOU were participating in their cull operation!:rolleyes:

Orrr he made that tale up.

I just went through this, sort of. Short story> Ballast was bad, sometimes worked. It would have been cheaper to replace the fixture, but watch out, those cheap fixtures have very cheap ballasts and they don't last. Got a heavier duty ballast and installed it in under five minutes. It would have taken longer to take the fixture down and install the new one!:)

I just had the same problem yesterday. J have been waiting for two weeks to get electrical work done in my new to me shop. Finally decide to do it myself. The building is a former Dr's office that I have all but gutted except for a bathroom and a small office.. anyway, I saved all the light fixtures from indirect lighting boxes that were in most of the rooms. Yesterday, I was reinstalling them above the planned work areas around the shop. since only a few of the lights still had tubes that worked, I had bought a box of 10 at HD.

After installing 5 fixtures on a circuit, I flipped on the breaker to discover that one did not light, so naturally, I tried a new tube, still nothing, and then another new tube, nothing.

At this point, I should have thought "put one of the working tubes in that fixture".

But NO, I had to overcomplicate it. I checked all the connections. Finding nothing wrong there, I changed the fixture, nothing. I even replaced the wire, to no avail.

I was standing there rubbing my chin, and looking up at the light when Bonnie came in. Her suggestion was of course to put a tube in that I knew was good. I don't need to tell you how this ended, except to say that 8 out of the 10 new tubes were bad.

I may have missed it but I don't think so. It sounds to me as though NO ONE "measured the voltages" at the fixture.

If you went to a garage and the mechanic fixed your automobile by exchanging parts you would be livid.

dusty wrote:I may have missed it but I don't think so. It sounds to me as though NO ONE "measured the voltages" at the the fixture.

If you went to a garage and the mechanic fixed your automobile by exchanging parts you would be livid.

My situation was a 800 mile round trip to get my meter.

I guess I could have purchased a cheap one local but didn't really need to as I was able to "fix" the problem without.

Ed

dusty wrote:I may have missed it but I don't think so. It sounds to me as though NO ONE "measured the voltages" at the the fixture.

I did actually want to test voltage after the new tubes failed, but was unable to locate my multi-meter. Later, while looking up at the light and rubbing my chin, I was trying to remember which one of my sons barrowed my multi-meter, and devising his punishment for not bringing it back.

I'm surprised you found any T12 lamps today. They are obsolete and no longer made in 4' and some other lengths.
But, a new T8 fixture and some new T8 lamps are cheap, so when an old T12 fixture has problems, you are money ahead junking it and putting in T8s. You also save some electricity.